The first time I saw an iPhone in person, I fell in love. It was PapaScott’s iPhone 3, it was a meet-up, and I… well, I ended up getting the iPhone 3G. Eventually it was replaced with an iPhone 4, and now an iPhone 5.
The iPhone 5 actually rocks – and I have no immediate desire to replace it. I fully intend on using it for at least another 12 months. It would take an absolutely amazing update to make me think the 6 is worth while.
That said, the iPhone 5 is not without it’s flaws – I’m actually on my second. The first one (replaced instantly upon showing the problems to an Apple Store Genius) had a power button that did not work and dirt inside the camera lens.
The replacement had no such problem – and today it is my trusty friend – save for a dirt problem. It seems that the Lightening Port gets dirt in it – whatever micro-particles are in my pocket go right into the hole. Ultimately the cable stops fitting into the hole correctly and… it stops connecting and charging.
This is, I think, the only significantly annoying design flaw introduced with the iPhone 5.
It turns out that using canned air and/or a plastic tooth pick is not enough – that one must actually go to the store where the genius will take your phone to some magic service room and clean out your hole.
Which is what I did yesterday afternoon.
And now that my hole is clean, I’m one happy camper.
I had pretty much the same arc as you- I managed to skip the hype on the first iPhone, but got the 3G, then later the 4. I still own my US 4, but my work here gave me an iPhone 5. When I leave to move back to the US in a month, I’ll have to give back the 5… good thing iPhone 6 will be out by then!
Also, I had exactly the same problem with my second iPhone 5. The first one had a faulty top microphone, which made speakerphone and audio on video recordings not work. The second iPhone 5 had the same hole problem, but they just replaced the entire handset.